


through love's eternity

by gotatheory



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Bandit OQ, Dark Outlaw Queen, F/M, Heroes and Villains AU, Notty Outlaw Queen, OQ Happy Ending Week, dragon outlaw queen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-08 01:05:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15231996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gotatheory/pseuds/gotatheory
Summary: “Guess now who holds thee!”—“Death,” I said, But, there,The silver answer rang, “Not Death, but Love.”Elizabeth Barrett Browning,Sonnets from the PortugueseA collection of fics for OQ Happy Ending Week.





	1. lust for life (keeps us alive) - day 1 (bandit oq)

They like exploring, Regina and Robin. Searching for new places to go, new riches to liberate and bestow upon more deserving folk, discovering new foods, and, perhaps most importantly, finding new ways to bring one another pleasure. Perhaps because she never really got to do this with anyone before him, Regina finds she’s absolutely voracious for it, willing to try anything and everything just to see if she likes it. And Robin, bless him, is more than eager to devote his time to doing anything that might have her reaching that ecstatic bliss with him.

For once, they’re alone, the Merry Men staying in town at the tavern after a particularly bountiful heist left plenty of money to go around. Robin and Regina had jumped at the chance to head back to camp alone, ignoring the pointed stares and comments of John and Will (truthfully, they’re glad they understood exactly what would be happening at camp tonight; maybe they’ll stay in town for the entire night, or at least long enough for Regina to get a few good uninterrupted orgasms under her belt). Alone, and Robin is already inside her, the air inside the tent quite heated already as he slowly thrusts, his mouth languidly capturing hers and matching the maddeningly unhurried pace of his hips.

Regina is whining and squirming beneath him already, it’s been weeks since they’ve been together properly like this and Robin wants to take it slow. She understands, truly, but Gods, she just wants to come on his cock _now_ ; slow and steady can happen later, after her orgasm.

“Patience, love,” he murmurs to her, chuckling into her skin.

Damn him if he doesn’t slow down, almost coming to a complete stop, his hips barely moving at all as he props himself up on his hands above her.

“Robin!” she moans, trying to encourage him to move, to fuck her, her own hips bucking under his as her hands scrabble down his back. She digs her nails into his ass, her heels into his thighs, and the little gaspy chuckle he releases at her futile efforts only makes her more desperate.

“I want to savor this,” he says, a gentle thrust to punctuate his words. “We so rarely get to just _enjoy_ ourselves.”

“I’d enjoy it more if you’d _make me come_ ,” Regina growls. He should know her better by now, should understand that patience isn’t her strong suit. But she’s determined to make him break, to get him to fuck her hard and fast, she just has to coax him a bit. So she keeps one hand on his ass, palming the cheek more deliberately, while her other hand urges his head back down to her.

The kiss is fiery, her tongue sweeping into his mouth in the pace she wishes he’d use inside of her, and he moans against her lips. For a moment, she thinks she’s won, but then he’s grasping the hand she’s using to angle his head, bringing it up until he’s pinned it above her head. It’s not until he does the same with her other hand that a thrill rushes through her.

That’s different.

He doesn’t usually hold her down so tightly, restricting her movement, but he’s chastising her now for her lack of patience, telling her something about making it worth her while if she’d just _wait_.

Regina doesn’t really hear any of it, though. Her blood is pumping harder, echoing in her ears, her heartbeat kicking up several notches as she assesses the situation. Robin, inside of her, his body pinning her down as tightly as his hands holding her wrists. Not enough to hurt, not even particularly forcefully, just enough to keep her there.

Robin is watching her carefully, studying her. He flexes his fingers around her wrists, shifting his grip until he holds them in one hand. “Do you like that?” he asks, emphasizing the question with another squeeze while his free hand travels down her body to her breast.

She gasps as he palms her, his thumb and forefinger catching her nipple and rolling it between them. “Yes,” she breathes out, eyes fluttering shut for a moment at the simple pleasure of his hand kneading her breast. When she opens her eyes, he’s smirking at her, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. Heat flares through her at the sight of him, has her squirming with anticipation.

He leaves her, and that was exactly the opposite of what she wanted. 

She can’t help the little whine that escapes her as he slips out of her, a rush of cooler air tickling her skin as he sits up first and then stands. “Where are you going?” she grumbles, watching as he moves over to a corner of the tent and starts rummaging through his kit. Annoyed that he’s left her when she’s wet and aching, she slips a hand down her body, her own fingers rubbing at her clit to try and hold on to that building tension.

“I’d like to try something, if you’re up to it,” he says as he holds up a length of rope and lets it dangle from his hand.

Regina’s breath catches at the sight, thinking of how he was holding her a moment ago. “All right,” she says, nodding once.

He approaches her then, walking over in a slow, measured manner, drawing out the moment of anticipation. Once he’s next to their cot, he reaches for her hand, lightly swatting the back of it as he chides, “Looks like I should have gotten this out sooner.” He’s chuckling as he says it, the tap barely registering as anything more than a brush of his fingers over her skin. He encircles her wrist, bringing it back up above her head to meet her other one, and then wraps the rope around them and ties it. “That okay?” he asks, tugging lightly at it, sliding two fingers under it to test the tightness.

“Yeah,” she confirms, wriggling her wrists. It’s tight enough to keep her from breaking free, to keep her restricted, but not so tight that it digs in and injures.

“Well then,” he murmurs, bending down so that he can climb on top of her, smiling smugly at the position he has her in, “what should I do first?”

“You can get back to fucking me, for starters.” She regrets this already, despite how her heart is thudding in her chest, excited nerves skittering under her skin.

Robin chuckles, capturing her mouth in a heated, languid kiss that spirals until he pecks her lips. “Oh no, my love, I think I should tease you some more, now that I have you all tied up.”

“Bastard,” she groans as his mouth moves down her neck, over her clavicle, wet teasing passes of his tongue as he sucks at her sensitive skin, until he settles at her breasts. The teasing doesn’t stop there as he trails kisses at the swells, switching between them whenever he gets too close to her nipples. “Robin, I swear to the Gods…”

She squirms, her eyes squeezing shut, and arches her back, trying to encourage him, just for him to laugh at her some more.

“Remember, this… is… all about… patience,” he murmurs, dotting little pecks over her skin and then she’s gasping, the pressure of his mouth settling over her nipple sudden and intense, and she wants to grasp at his head, to hold him there. She’s reminded of the rope looping her hands together when she tries to tug them apart, the knot stubbornly holding.

“Fuck,” she whimpers, digging her head into the poor excuse of a pillow beneath her.

“Soon enough,” Robin laughs, and Gods, she hates him. _Loves_ him, but hates him.

Regina doesn’t know how long he takes, only that it feels like hours as he moves down her body at a snail’s pace, finding all of her sensitive spots that she didn’t even know about as he teases and taunts. By the time he’s between her legs, tongue sliding inside of her, she thinks this is what dying feels like. He teases there, too, fucks her and sucks her clit, riling her up just to pull away before she can come. She’s almost crying with it, a wordless sob escaping her as her hips buck, and finally, _finally_ he’s hovering over her, his cock brushing against her soaked entrance.

He pushes in, and it’s good, so fucking good she’s shouting with each thrust, pleasure igniting her body, but then he’s pressed against her. His mouth on hers, silencing her gasping cries, his torso flush with hers, one of his hands holding her wrists where the rope ties around, and suddenly, she can’t breathe. Her body bucks and twists, attempting to dislodge him, and she tears her mouth from his as she shouts, “No! Stop!”

Robin is up and off of her immediately, pulling out and leaving her empty, though as bereft as her body feels without him inside of her, the fear recedes a little as she’s able to take a full breath without the weight of him on top of her. “Regina? Did I hurt you?”

She brings her hands down, trying to pull them apart, not quite hearing his question as she barks, “Untie me! Please!”

He works quick, steadying her shaky hands, tugging the knot until it unravels and then he’s rubbing her wrists, the skin red but not bruised. “Regina?” he tries again, and she shakes her head. Breathes in, out, in and out until the anxiety fades.

“I’m all right,” she says mildly, and Robin says _Okay_ , her hands still held in his, his thumbs stroking lightly, _soothingly_ over her skin. “There was a time… Queen Snow’s dwarf knights caught me… And they restrained me and threw me in a trunk so I couldn’t escape. I haven’t thought about it in… well, a while, and I don’t know why… I know you’d never hurt me.”

Robin shifts on the cot, moving as if he wants to wrap his arms around her and pull her to him, but he must think better of it at the last second, instead resting a hand on her back instead. He rubs more soothing circles into her skin as he murmurs, “Did I hurt you?”

She looks up at him with wide eyes, telling him, “No,” with conviction. “No, you’d never, and you didn’t.” She’s the one reaching for him now, her palm cupping his cheek as she pulls him into a kiss. “I don’t even know why I thought about it, I just… For a moment, I couldn’t breathe and it made me think about that trunk…”

“It’s okay, Regina,” he says, brushing their noses together and making her smile sweetly. “I’m sorry that I tied you up, I should have thought…”

Regina interrupts him, shaking her head. “No, I was excited, I wanted to try it too,” she says, gripping his hand. “It was fun, at first, but I think maybe we should avoid the ropes during sexy time…” As her voice trails off, she smiles naughtily, adding, “Well, maybe avoid them for me, anyway…”

Robin’s eyebrows bounce a bit, a tiny amused smirk turning up the corners of his mouth. “Oh _really_?” he asks, and Regina bites her bottom lip. “You want to tie me up, love?”

“I think it’s only fair, isn’t it? Since you tied me up,” she points out with a grin. She reaches for his shoulders, pushing lightly at him, forcing him to turn and maneuver onto his back.

He goes without resistance, smiling wider as Regina straddles his lap. His hands instinctively settle at her hips, only for her to pin them above his head. “Are you sure you want to continue?” he murmurs, and Regina scoffs.

“Am I _sure_?” She rocks her hips over him, dragging her wetness over the solid length of him. “You’ve teased me for _hours_ ” — she ignores his scoff and muttered _Not hours_ — “and then tied me up and teased me some more. I want my orgasm, Robin.”

Robin chuckles, shaking his head a little at her but still smirking nonetheless. “Well, when you put it like that, perhaps you should come up here. Let me make all that teasing up to you.”

She smiles delightfully at that, murmuring a throaty, “I like the sound of that…” before she’s climbing up his body, settling over his face. She leaves his hands free for this, lets him grip her hips and hold her to his mouth, and it takes no time at all before she’s throwing back her head and moaning at the pleasure of his tongue.

He’s always good at this, but he’s especially dedicated tonight after all the pleasurable torment he’s put her through (not to mention the less pleasurable torment of inadvertently forcing her into a bad place). He doesn’t tease, doesn’t try and draw it out beyond making it _good_ , and Gods, it’s _so good_ , has her crying out and riding his face until she spills over with an ecstatic shout, his name tumbling from her lips.

“Mmmm,” she hums as she winds down from her climax, the fingers she tangled in his hair going lax, stroking lightly at his scalp. She moves off of his face, settling along his side so that she can press her lips to his. For a few moments, they simply trade kisses, tongues sliding against each other until she pulls back, grinning at him. Robin has long enough to raise his eyebrows at her before she’s locking her hands around his wrists, pinning them above his head with a murmured, “Keep them there.”

“Yes ma’am,” he smirks, watching as she reaches for the rope and loops it around his wrists. Once she’s finished, he looks up at her with a grin, testing the limits of his movement with bound wrists. “All right, my love, what’s next?”

“Whatever I wish to do to you,” Regina says with a seductive smile, intending to torture him a bit like he did to her. “I want to make you squirm.” She sets about to do just that, kissing her way across his chest, biting at his nipples and then moving down his stomach until she can settle between his legs.

Robin groans in anticipation, and then groans again as her mouth wraps around his cock. She sucks him, fully planning to tease and torment him the way he did her, but as she eases back his foreskin and flicks her tongue over the sensitive head of him, he lets out this sound of pure pleasure that goes straight to her cunt. She focuses on the tip of him, sucking hard, and his hips jerk, her name released on a ragged breath.

She wants him again, wants him properly this time, and well, she’s in the position to take it now.

Regina draws back, continuing that suction, pulling back until he pops from her lips and then she maneuvers back up his body, preparing to sink down on him when she gets a marvellous idea. With a smirk, she adjusts, turning around over him until her back is facing him. And then she positions him at her entrance, and sinks down, throwing her head back on a throaty moan as he mutters a fervent, “Oh, _shit_ , Regina!”

She’s not often rode him like this, but she throws herself into it now, giving herself only a moment to adjust to his length inside her until she’s riding him briskly, her hands braced on his knees as she bounces over him. Normally his hands would be at her waist, her hips, but he’s bound and something about that knowledge has her running hotter, knowing he can’t touch her like he usually does and instead he has to content himself with looking and feeling her.

Robin’s enjoying it too, she can tell, he’s gasping and moaning and almost pleading with her, telling her how hot this is, how hot _she_ is, and wet and tight and _bloody fucking perfect_. Somehow he’s managing to talk between pants, dirty things about how she’s clenching around him, how close he is, how close _she_ is, _Gods I can feel it, babe, you’re so close aren’t you_ and fuck, yes, yes she is — oh Gods, _yes_!

She screams, her orgasm rolling over her in full force as she shatters around him, her hips losing their rhythm but the spasms of her inner muscles are enough to bring Robin into bliss with her.

For a moment, the tent is oddly silent except for their panting breaths, and then Regina groans as she rolls off of him, immediately turning into his side and snuggling into it. “That was… nice,” she says, still a bit breathless from the exertion.

“Just nice?” he teases, and then when he tries to bring his arm down around her, he remembers his predicament. “Um. Regina?”

She looks up and laughs, “Oh, I suppose you’d like to be free, hmm?”

“Yes,” he says, but she only smirks.

“I don’t know. I kind of like you like this,” she replies, running her hand along his side, tickling his ribs. “All tied up and at my mercy… What if I want to go another round?”

“Regina,” he whines. “I want to hold you.”

She thinks it over, before sighing melodramatically. “Fine. I guess since you want to hold me and I do so enjoy being in your arms…” She reaches up then, untying the knot quickly, yelping in surprise when he pulls her into a tight hug before rolling her onto her back.

His weight presses into her, comforting, his elbows holding him up so that he’s not crushing her. “You’re such a minx,” he murmurs, bending to kiss her. He eases off, wrapping an arm loosely around her shoulders. “Are you happy, my love?”

“Immensely,” she replies sleepily, cuddling against him, her face nuzzling his shoulder. “I love you.”

And Robin smiles widely as he holds her close, and whispers the words back to her as she drifts off to sleep.


	2. hoping you're someone that i used to know - day 2 (wildcard)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An expansion of 6.11, when Regina brings Robin of Locksley to Storybrooke from the Wish Realm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had originally started writing this little ficlet back after 6.11 aired, but then I was unable to complete it before 6.12. But I still kind of like it, and would probably never post it for anything else, so I decided to use it as a wildcard for today.

She’s holding his hand as they both step into the wardrobe, wants to stay connected to him in the hopes that they’ll come out the other side together. She knows he’s not real, that he might not make it through with her. Her treacherous heart, emboldened by Emma’s little speech, beats faster, pounding loud enough to drown out the cautious voice in her brain warning that _villains don’t get happy endings_.

She’s not a villain. She’s excised the darkness. She’s earned this, surely.

When she emerges from the tree, Emma on the other side asking if she’s all right and _Where’s Robin?_ , Regina turns around, waiting for him to follow her out.

Her black, black heart sinks to her toes, suddenly leaden. That voice berates her, _You should have known better, Regina_ , and tears fill her eyes. Even with her darkness gone, happiness seems too much to hope for.

“Can I have a moment alone, please?” she asks Emma, not even looking away from the hollowed tree as the other woman walks away. She stares for a moment, hopeless, helpless, wondering just what she needs to do to finally have happiness.

She’s gotten rid of her darkness, split it from her very being, but there’s still a part of her that hisses, _Emma gets her pirate back, you can’t even hold onto a figment of your thief_. It’s bitter, and angry, and sounds so much like the Evil Queen she thinks that she might be standing there with her. It shocks her, terrifies her enough to make her turn away from the tree. If she’s still capable of thoughts like that without her evil half, it’s no wonder she can’t find happiness. It’s no wonder she keeps losing.

This is simply her life: constant suffering. Constantly reaching for things she can’t have just to be shoved back down.

These thoughts swirl in her brain, tears in her eyes almost to the point of overflowing, casting her gaze skyward. She doesn’t much believe in higher powers, but she wishes she could get some answers. Some sort of sign of what she needs to do to stop this constant torture. 

She hears the _boom!_ then as magic fires through the tree, and she can’t stop her heart from rising. When she turns and sees him stumbling out of the husk, she’s running towards him before she even realizes.

Regina feels light, her heart soaring, and she throws her arms around him before she can think better of it. Before she can think at all, too thrilled to see him here, in this world, the real one. He _feels_ real; he feels like she remembers, his body solid against hers as his arm wraps around her back. She wraps him up tight, disbelieving that she’s actually holding him again, being held by him again. She never thought she’d have this chance.

It’s when she inhales deeply, wanting to fill her lungs with his familiar scent of forest and _Robin_ that she remembers this isn’t _her_ Robin. His scent hits her like a physical force, and it’s similar, something inherently Robin, but wrong. He smells like ale, and the magic from traveling through the wardrobe, and nothing like the pine and fresh air she associated with her Robin.

Unbidden, she hears Snow: _He’s kind of cute, isn’t he?_ And her biting reply, _He smells like forest_.

Her eyes jerk open, her body stiffening as she draws away, embarrassed. “Sorry,” she murmurs, not looking at him, shoving her hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture.

He dips down a bit, until he can catch her gaze, and God, he looks so understanding, it scrapes open wounds that she’s trying to hold tightly closed. When he looks at her with those blue eyes, it’s almost like she’s got him back. “It’s all right,” he assures, in that soft voice that sounds so much like him, it splits her heart right open.

Bringing him back was a bad idea. He’s not hers, he’s not the Robin she loves, but God, the way he’s looking at her right now, so kind and caring, having let her hug him even though he doesn’t even know her... He could be, she thinks. He could be the man she loves, and she could make him happy.

Robin looks away from her, glancing at the forest surrounding them. “So... where the hell are we?” he inquires, and though she’s sure he’s curious about this new land he finds himself in, she thinks a part of him knows how awkward she feels right now.

At least, his counterpart could always read her so well. It stands to reason he can too, even if he’s not the same man.

So she smiles, gestures with her head for him to follow her to the outcropping she knows is nearby. They have a great view of the town from this height, the lights glittering and sparkling in the night sky. Robin inhales sharply, and she looks over to him, studies that face she knows so well and tries not to wince at seeing such a familiar wonderment in his eyes.

“Welcome to Storybrooke, Robin of Locksley.”


	3. bask in the glory of all our problems - day 3 (dark oq)

He watches lazily as she tugs on those tight leather pants of hers, her corset lacing into place, the heavy overcoat she wears falling over her shoulders. It’s magic, literally; he knows that because he’s undressed her firsthand. Only magic could get her garments on so easily (especially those damnable leather trousers that might as well be a second skin). While she dresses, he lounges on the bed of hay (something she is rather amenable to when she can lie on him lying on a bed of hay, as it turns out) completely naked, not intending on moving any time soon. But it amuses him, seeing her dress in such regalia when they are, for all intents and purposes, living in the woods.

“You know,” Robin starts, tilting his head as she turns around to face him, an imperious brow arched, “you should really ditch the impractical clothing.”

This isn’t a new conversation for them. He’s said the exact same thing more or less before, and Regina rolls her eyes in exasperation.

“I believe I told you before that I’m not going around naked just to make it less embarrassing for you because you can’t figure out how to untie a corset,” she says with a sneer that Robin thinks he should not find so becoming.

He grumbles, “That was _one_ time when I was highly intoxicated.” Trying to push his bruised pride aside, he adds, “And that wasn’t what I meant anyway. You’re not the Evil Queen anymore, not here.”

Regina sniffs disapprovingly. “I am always the Queen, even in this godforsaken realm where my own son hunts me.”

“More than just King Henry is out for your head,” Robin points out, sitting up more fully now. The threadbare blanket shifts down his body, exposing his torso (Regina thinks she’s so subtle as she takes in a breath and licks her lips). “That bloody imp still wants you, too.”

She scowls at the reminder of her former mentor wants her dead, too. No doubt she’s remembering the encounter that affected her almost as much as Henry chasing her did. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen her so… not _afraid_ , but certainly rattled by the full force of the Dark One coming after her.

“You think Rumplestiltskin will be fooled by a change of clothes?” she says with another disdainful sniff, and he sighs in his own show of irritation.

“No, but the clueless knights in King Henry’s employ will. The oblivious villagers who only notice you because you’re prancing around in a fucking dress dripping in diamonds will,” he retorts with perhaps a touch more anger than he intends. “We could sell that damned thing, get you some real clothes, and _then_ maybe you’d stop getting tripped up on every upturned tree root.”

There’s a split second where silence falls, and Regina’s face flickers too quickly with an emotion for him to identify it properly, but he knows her too well even after this short amount of time. Before he can process it, her mask is solidly back in place, a stone wall bricking up the hurt. Regina doesn’t even say anything, turning instead on her heel and striding imperiously out of the tent without looking back.

“Regina,” he calls out, but she doesn’t stop, and Robin shoves at the blanket covering him. He quickly reaches for his pants, pulling them on but not lacing them up as he stumbles out of the tent after her. “Regina!”

For all his blustering about her tripping over roots, she moves with deft and grace now, moving into the trees. She’s not quick enough to lose him, though, and he reaches her, a hand grasping at her only for her to whirl around before he can touch her.

“Do not!” she shouts at him, drawing back and away, glaring at him.

Robin pulls back immediately, holding his hand up and bringing it back towards him. “Regina,” he says her name again, a little more pleadingly this time. “I — I shouldn’t have—” He doesn’t know what to say, because he’s not necessarily _sorry_ that he said it. He settles for, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Didn’t you?” she scowls, crossing her arms under her breasts and squaring her shoulders at him. “You were trying to convince me that you were right, that I should get rid of my clothes, the last vestiges I have of _my life_ , because I’m too foolish to know that it’s putting me in danger. I’m sure you thought if you pushed hard enough, I’d come around to your way of thinking.”

“That’s not fair,” he argues, mirroring her scowl with one of his own and when she opens her mouth to argue back, he shakes his head. “No, it’s not fair, Regina. You _know_ I wasn’t trying to upset you, you’re just too bloody stubborn to listen to reason. You just said you know you should get rid of that dress.”

Her eyes flash, glittering wetly in the low morning light, and she lashes out at him as she says, “And what of it? This is all I have left, Robin! I don’t have my son, my family, my home! My title is meaningless, I have no purpose here! So _excuse me_ if I don’t want to play happy bandits in the forest with you!”

This time, he’s the one to recoil, and even Regina flinches as she hears her own words.

“Would it… would it be so bad?” he murmurs, his gaze fixed on a tree behind her. “Letting all of that go and accepting this reality for what it is?” He looks at her then, afraid to see what he might find but unable to resist.

She bites her lip and admits, “I don’t know.”

Robin stares a moment longer, and then nods once. “All right then.” He bends his head in a respectful bow, adding, “Your Majesty,” and then he’s walking back to the tent. He doesn’t see her for the rest of the day or for the night. He looks for her, tries to find some trace, but with her magic it’s hard to know where she could have went when anywhere in the Enchanted Forest is at her disposal. And even though she’s powerful and capable, the Dark One is a stronger foe, not to mention her weakness for the boy who is not her son.

Sleep is uneasy that night, one ear metaphorically kept open to listen for her return, but she doesn’t come. Morning brings him awake with a stiff back and neck, his body held tense throughout his sleep, unable to relax when he doesn’t know where she is, if she’s okay.

There’s a sound just outside his tent, though, movement and snapping branches, and he’s up and off the bed of hay quickly, peeking out to see who could have gotten so close to his camp.

It’s Regina.

He almost doesn’t recognize her at first, clothed such as she is in muted earth tones, and her hair tied back into a braid, and even from here he can tell her makeup is not as dramatic as usual. She looks… soft, almost ethereal in the early morning light.

Robin steps out, staring at her, and she glances up at him, and then away in that unmistakably nervous way she has. It endears her to him, always.

“Good morning,” he says, tilting his head this way and that as he takes in her attire. “I must say, milady, while you _look_ like quite the bandit, you’re sneaking skills are atrocious. You woke me up.”

“Maybe that was my intention,” she replies imperiously, her nose held in the air and yes, there’s his Regina.

He reaches for her, tentatively but then she’s stepping into his arms, reaching up to cup his cheek as he bends to kiss her. As their lips part, he murmurs, “I have a lot to teach you about being a thief, I think.”

“I look forward to it and any future adventures,” she whispers, kissing him again.


	4. in the end everything collides - day 4 (wildcard; dragon outlaw queen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Day 4, I'm bringing out my last wildcard to give you a little Flicker Beat verse. For the last Prompt Party, I had gotten a prompt about David, Robin, and Hook realizing they all slept together (see my fic [Wishes in the Dark](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11992287)). This... really didn't go how I intended. Such is life.
> 
> As always, Flicker Beat jumps around in the timeline, so this is technically set a bit in the "future," so to speak.

The Rabbit Hole is boisterous tonight, not least because the Merry Men have brought it upon themselves to host an informal party here. Informal because Robin insisted he didn’t need a stag night, even though Snow had insisted upon throwing a hen party for Mal and Regina at Granny’s (not that his loves had wanted that anymore than he wanted this). None of them had wanted this fuss, despite their impending nuptials. But between Snow (who could never say no to the opportunity to make something into a big deal) and Killian (who loved an excuse for a night of drunken revelry and swayed Little John with the promise of food and drink), their protests didn’t stand a chance.

If Robin is honest, he’s rather enjoying the night. It’s not often nowadays that he has a night out with the guys. Thalia takes up so much of their time, considering she’s only two years old and full of young, excitable, magical energy. So for all of his protestations before, he’s smiling as he lifts his beer to his lips, stopping just in time to see Will Scarlet making a fool of himself as he spins a tall tale for Much.

It’s nice, and he’s still chuckling at Scarlet as Killian and David settle onto the bar stools on either side of him.

“Having a good time, mate?” Killian asks, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Yes, actually,” Robin replies, willing to admit that he’s wrong. “This wasn’t a terrible idea…”

“And you’ve only checked your phone five times in the past ten minutes,” David points out with a grin.

“Checking up on the missus?” Killian’s brow furrows. “Missus-es?”

Robin looks sheepish as he says, “Only once or twice. They don’t typically enjoy revelry such as this. And Henry’s watching Roland and Thalia.”

“They’re in good hands,” David assures him. “Your children _and_ Regina and Mal. Snow and Emma are with them.”

“Besides,” Killian says, “This whole wedding was Regina’s idea. She had to have expected a party.”

Robin’s fingers squeeze around the empty pint in his hands, pointing out, “It’s not really a wedding.”

Killian waves his hook dismissively. “Codswallop. They’ve got fancy dresses picked out, and there’s going to be some sort of priestess, and you three are taking a trip away just the three of you after the ceremony. It’s a wedding.” Before Robin can get a word in edgewise, he’s signalling for the bartender. “Mate! Another round for the soon to be happily wedded bachelor!”

“Oh, no, I shouldn’t,” Robin says, holding up his hands. “I’ve had quite a few already.”

“Nonsense! You’re getting married in a few days, this is your last night of freedom, so to speak!” Killian insists. “You’re supposed to get pissed and do something you regret, like go home with the waitress.”

Robin raises his eyebrows at him, confused. “Why would I do that?”

The other man sighs, hanging his head. “Right, for a moment I was talking to the great and honorable Robin Hood. Besides, I suppose you’d be able to take the waitress back to Regina and Mal considering some of the things you three get up to.”

He bristles at that, not too pleased with the turn the conversation has taken. Their sex life isn’t up for discussion, despite how people _still_ have questions about what they do together when they’ve been together for years now.

“I bet even after all this time, your bedroom is never boring with those two,” Killian chuckles, ignoring David’s chiding _Hook!_ and Robin’s annoyed glance. Fortunately, the man stops talking, reaching for his own drink and taking a swallow. It’s then that he looks at Robin and David, saying, “Hey, Davey, you remember that night a couple of years ago, when you and Snow threw that huge party and we all went home with different partners?”

David flushes red, stuttering out something that Killian takes as confirmation.

“You got Regina and Mal, right?” he asks, and David only stares at him.

It would be clear to anyone that both Robin and David have no idea where Killian is going with this, but the pirate is too caught up in his drunken musings to help illuminate his point. At least, it’s all very unclear up until the moment he laughs and says, “Do you realize the three of us have all slept with Regina at one point or another?”

Robin had let his attention wander in the meantime, but his head snaps around to look at him then. “What?” he says, and Killian sobers a bit.

“Oh, shit,” he mutters. “Regina… didn’t tell you?” Off of Robin’s stare, Killian quickly clarifies, “Back in the Enchanted Forest. Ages before she met you, before the curse was cast, even. She needed me to, er, do something for her.”

That much, Robin knows about; Regina hiring Killian to go after her mother. But she’d never mentioned having sex with him (for a reason Robin can probably grasp on his own, considering her disdain for the man now).

“Before I went on that task, I did something _else_ for her. Well, I did her. Or the other way around, I guess. We were in a carriage, so I was a bit limited in what I could do. She didn’t have the same problem,” he chuckles fondly, and Robin feels something clench angrily inside of him. “You’re quite the lucky man, Robin Hood, if she’s anything like she was that day.”

It’s not that he’s upset that Regina slept with Killian, especially since it happened before they had ever met. He’s not bothered by her past relations, knows too well that most of them were simply a lonely woman trapped in a marriage she didn’t want or the machinations of the Evil Queen in her quest for vengeance and power. No, he’s angry at Killian for talking about this so flippantly, and perhaps the man means no harm or disrespect but it _feels_ like it.

“Killian,” David says lowly, cautiously, and something in Killian shifts, sobering as he realizes what exactly he’s said.

“I’m sorry, mate, I didn’t mean — I thought Regina might have mentioned it,” he says, face screwing up in something regretful.

“Just stop talking, please,” Robin mutters and turns to the bartender. “I could use that other pint now.”

“It was a long, long time ago!”

“It’s fine,” he replies through clenched teeth. Fortunately, the pirate falls silent, and the bartender slides a nice, full pint over to him. As he’s going to drink it, it’s David who speaks up.

“It _is_ interesting we’ve all slept with Regina, though,” he says in that clueless way David has sometimes, and Robin has to physically restrain himself from burying his face in his hands.

Maybe he’s enjoying this night a little less, after all.


	5. a wicked little high - day 5 (cursed oq)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little sequel to my fic [The Fifth Drink Before a Long Drive](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12566860), where Robin is inexplicably alive and in Hyperion Heights and named Brian, Roni occasionally sleeps with Rogers (first name James since the show never bothered with one), and Roni and Rogers propositioned Brian for a threesome.
> 
> This is still not the sex you're looking for, oops.

The first thing Roni is aware of is that she is exceedingly warm. As a rule, she seems to run hotter than most anyway, much prefers to have her small apartment frigid by other people’s standards, and yet she’ll _still_ kick off her one thin blanket during the night while she sleeps. The blanket survived the night, it seems, because she can feel the scratchy material against her bare skin. That’s the second thing she becomes aware of, by the way. She’s naked, and that’s a less common occurrence. She sleeps in very little — boy shorts and the thinnest tank top she can stand, but very rarely does she go all out and sleep nude. The third thing is really a third and fourth thing: she’s not alone, something she realizes as she shifts only to feel a body solid at her back (feeling so hot suddenly makes more sense, if she has a bed partner) and then as she shifts forward, there’s _another_ body.

Roni’s eyes snap open then (the fifth thing she notices is the hangover headache renting space in her temples) and land on Rogers’ face. That’s not _so_ surprising, considering their frequent romps together. He doesn’t usually stay the night though, on the rare occasion that they make it to her apartment (and she’s the same way, usually leaving his place after they're finished).

The most unusual thing is the third person in her bed. That is definitely new.

The night before slowly comes back to her, a flurry of drinks downstairs, a conversation with James, a proposition to Brian, and then heated kisses. Heated everything, because she was surrounded, sandwiched between the two men, barely able to keep track of who was kissing her and who was kneeling before her.

No wonder she feels sore; she had a hell of a night.

She's in the middle, between the two men and entirely sure of how to escape the awkwardness of her situation. It's _her_ apartment so she can't leave even if she somehow miraculously gets out of bed without waking them.

Fortunately she doesn't have to think about it for long, because Brian behind her is stirring, shifting and then tensing up as he takes in his surroundings (she assumes). If both of them are awake, Roni figures she might as well get up properly.

She rolls over to face him. “Morning, tiger,” she says, voice throaty from sleep (and perhaps a little from last night, she remembers making quite a bit of noise).

“Good morning,” Brian mumbles sheepishly, and she can tell even in this low light that he's a little flushed. Embarrassed maybe, considering the circumstances. 

Roni levers up onto her elbows, half-sitting as she suggests, “Maybe we should leave Sleeping Beauty here and I could… scrounge up something for breakfast?”

Brian nods, slowly and carefully climbing out of bed. He's naked too, something Roni didn't think about until he stood up, and she quickly averts her eyes. It seems a little silly, having slept together the night before, but seeing him in the nude now seems awkward. She hears the rustling of clothes and when she looks up, he's pulled on his jeans and shirt. He leaves the room before she's out of bed and she grabs her own tank top and a pair of sleep shorts.

She joins him outside in the small area that makes up her living room and kitchen, managing a small smile as she nervously tucks a curl of hair behind her ear. “So… um. About last night… James and I don't usually…”

“It's fine. I had a good time,” he says, smiling at her. “What you and he get up to is your business. But… well, last night was one of the best nights of sleep I've ever had.”

Roni feels the flush across her cheeks, ducking her head a bit and that unruly curl slips free again. She bites her lip and wonders why this particular man makes her feel like a schoolgirl.

“Thanks… I enjoyed it, too,” she murmurs, smiling at him before she pushes past to enter her kitchen. She has no idea what she's going to fix; she doesn't do breakfast generally, usually grabs a granola bar and heads to the bar with the intention of eating later. Her fridge and cabinets are woefully empty. There are some eggs, though, a half-gallon of milk that she’s pretty sure is still good despite the two-day old expiration date, and a half-eaten loaf of bread that she can make toast out of.

Brian’s eyes are on her, she can feel him watching as she wanders around the kitchen gathering various utensils, and when she turns to him to ask if scrambled is okay, he was definitely staring at her ass. It makes her smirk, settles that nervous part of her that doesn’t know how to handle this unusual morning.

To his credit, he looks a bit sheepish at being caught but not particularly ashamed. “You’re a very beautiful woman, Roni,” he shrugs, and then he’s crossing over from the counter that separates her kitchen from the sitting area, moving to stand beside her. He reaches up, tenderly brushing that one damn curl back from her forehead. “James is very lucky to have you.”

She’s captivated by him, absolutely mesmerized by the way his fingertips lingered over her skin, eyes drawn to his lips with such focus she almost misses what he says. His words snap her out of her trance, a chuckle falling from her lips. “He doesn’t _have_ me,” she says with her own shrug. “We’re not a couple. It’s not like that; we just like having some fun together.”

Brian regards her carefully for a moment, his teeth biting at his lower lip in a manner that has Roni immensely jealous. _She_ wants to do that, wants to take his lip between her own teeth and give it a little nibble, remembers with a flash of heat doing that just last night and the soft moan it drew out of him.

“Well. Thank you for inviting me into your fun,” he says, smirking at her naughtily. He’s pulling away from her then, taking a step back as his gaze catches on something else — she mentally traces his line of sight, realizes it must be the wall clock (a kitschy little thing that she for some reason found herself unable to resist: an apple with an arrow through it, the time displayed on the shaft, simple and not really her style and yet she had to have it). “I’m sorry, but I think I’m going to have to skip out on breakfast…”

She tries not to feel disappointed by this, especially when her sometimes-lover is still lying in her bed. She shouldn’t feel so attached to Brian, it’s inexplicable, really, but she is drawn to him in a way she doesn’t understand. And that’s why she says too hopefully and without thinking of the implications, “Oh. Maybe another time, then?”

Brian smiles at her, blows right by the potential way she’s almost propositioned him, and says, “I’d like that.”


	6. you're my favorite kind of night - day 6 (notty outlaw queen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Day 6 - AU Happy Ending, we get to visit my [Tastes Like You Only Sweeter](https://archiveofourown.org/series/973164) verse.

They’ve done it. Graduated, Regina with the highest honors and Robin with a respectable GPA, but all that matters is that degree in their hands (well, not really in their hands yet, those will be mailed to them) and the years of studying and stressing and juggling school and jobs and life are over. Now, all that’s left to focus on is where to go after this — but for tonight, neither of them are thinking about that yet. Tonight, Robin is fixing drinks, pouring whiskey into two tumblers and fixing a gin and tonic that he brings over to Regina. He hands a tumbler to Keith, their fingers brushing and lingering in a promise of things to come. When he settles next to Regina on the couch, he returns her pointed smirk with an innocent smile of his own, knowing she’s seen the shared touch.

Sharing their bed isn’t something they do all the time. A handful of encounters with various men and women throughout the few years they’ve been together and opened themselves to this sort of adventure. But Keith is one of the only people they’ve had repeat performances with, and there exists an easy sort of comradery between them. There’s no awkwardness in their interactions now, because they’ve become used to evenings like this, hanging out turning into more.

It’s their own private afterparty, having left Ruby’s graduation bash a little while ago to simply relax and spend the rest of the night how they’d like. They chat about their plans, where they’re going from here, how Robin’s already got a job set up at the local museum and Regina’s got grad school, and Keith offhandedly mentions he’s moving to Boston to pursue his criminal law degree.

This could very well be their last night together, and it’s a sobering thought for all of them.

Regina’s the one who sets aside her drink first, reaching for Robin and letting her fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck as she leans into him and her lips brushing against his jaw. She keeps her eyes on Keith, watching his gaze become laser-focused on the two of them. Robin turns his head, meeting Regina’s mouth with his own in a kiss that quickly heats up until she’s shifting into his lap.

It doesn’t take long before Keith is moving over to join them, sitting down where Regina and Robin are, and Regina shivers as she feels his hand warm against her spine. She moans softly into Robin’s mouth, turning out of the kiss as Keith starts to pull her top over her head. She shakes her hair out, letting it spill over her shoulders, and she smiles at Robin as he predictably tangles his fingers into her hair.

“Gorgeous,” he tells her, and she turns her face into his palm, pressing a kiss there. “Let’s take this to the bedroom, hmm?”

Regina tilts her head as Keith kisses her neck, tongue sliding over her skin in a delicious way and she hums in approval. “Yes, I think we should,” she murmurs, gasping when Keith nips at the join of her shoulder and Robin is taking advantage of her distraction. He bends forward, captures the tip of one lace-covered breast between his lips, his hand kneading the swell of the other one.

“Moving sounds good,” Keith agrees, and he’s the one that helps pull them off the couch. He knows the way to their bedroom off by heart, tugs them in that direction eagerly.

They fall into bed together, clothes discarded along the way, and it might be surprising how graceful and unawkward the whole encounter is, how practiced they appear at the art of having a threesome. Regina watches unbothered as Keith and Robin kiss, as Robin moves down Keith’s body until he can suck his cock, and Keith pulls her into a kiss of their own as Robin bobs his head.

Few words are exchanged, the most direction given gaspy, moaning whispers such as, “Yes, like that,” or “Come up here,” or “Right there!”

Keith makes Regina come with his head between her thighs as Robin works between his own, and then they’re shifting again, Keith maneuvering Robin until he’s on his knees and Keith is positioned behind them. It’s Regina who passes Keith the lube and a condom, and she slides a finger into her own sex as Keith presses a finger into Robin, relishing the moan he releases.

This isn’t the first time she’s watched them do this, but it’s always hot, always makes her desire spike impossibly higher as Keith prepares him. When he removes his fingers and pushes his cock in instead, Robin grunts a sharp, “Fuck!” and Regina’s thighs clench.

She watches for several moments as Keith fucks him, and she no longer questions why she finds this so hot. She just knows that it is, that she loves watching him come undone from another’s touch. Sometimes she’ll watch him until he climaxes, but tonight, she wants more despite having come already. Tonight, she slides under him, throwing off their rhythm but they adjust eagerly for her, knowing what she wants.

Robin positions his cock, pausing only a moment to kiss her fiercely before he’s sliding into her in a fluid thrust. It’s Robin who groans again, another ripe curse exploding out of him as Regina’s wet heat wraps around him, and Keith gives a short, testing thrust.

They move in unison, Keith fucking Robin fucking Regina, their moans and cries filling the room until everything spills over.

Later, Regina is spooned loosely in Robin’s arms and Keith is half asleep on Robin’s other side.

“This was a hell of a graduation gift,” Keith chuckles warmly, pressing a kiss to Robin’s shoulder.

Robin laughs, half-turning over and pressing a kiss to his lips. “Are you sure you still want to move to Boston?” he asks. “There’s less of a chance of this happening there…”

“Think I can’t replace you, Locksley?” he taunts, and Regina can hear Robin’s smirk.

“More like you don’t want to.”

She mutters, “Speak for yourself; I’m irreplaceable.”

“Oh definitely,” Keith teases, reaching out to grasp her shoulder with a warm hand. “I will miss you. But we can keep in touch, right?”

Robin and Regina don’t hesitate to confirm that. “I don’t think we could resist it,” Robin admits with a little laugh. “We’ve become rather addicted, it seems.”

“I do have that affect,” Keith smirks, and it’s that that compels Robin to turn and shift the other man onto his back. Regina turns as well, watching as Robin smirks down at him _Oh, is that so?_ and then he’s kissing him once more.

Time for round 2, she thinks with her own little smirk, rolling closer to them.


	7. on the edge of paradise - day 7 (canon oq)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so one of the things I really, really wanted to write after the series finale was the inevitable (for me) orgy between three versions of Regina and two versions of Robin. This is not really that, but it's the start. So this is sort of part one of that orgy fic and hopefully some day soon I can finish it, at which point I'll post it as it's own standalone fic.

As a general rule, Regina Mills does not like surprises. She likes to be in control, likes to know what’s going on, and right now, she feels decidedly out of control.

Neither Zelena nor Henry are particularly good about keeping secrets — the only curse that seems to plague Regina nowadays — and that’s suited her fine because she’d rather know what’s happening than not. Right now, her sister and son are surprisingly tight-lipped, grinning at her in a way that has nerves bubbling up under her confusion as they walk down the corridor of Snow’s summer castle.

It’s not a place she’s been to often since the realms merged — though Snow has claimed it once more, as one would expect of someone raised a princess — but the halls are still familiar to her, and she knows that at the end of this hallway lies the grand hall.

Whatever is happening, it must be quite the event to warrant this castle and the dress Zelena had magicked her into the moment they stepped out of the car.

Regina’s confusion only grows the moment she sees her younger son, sheriff’s badge proudly pinned to his suit, but she takes his arm just as she takes the arm of the older version of him. When they open the doors, her breath catches as every muscle momentarily freezes up, stunned by the crowd of people applauding her arrival. It takes the Henrys coaxing her down the aisle to get her moving again, her feet and her sons leading her to the dais where Snow and David await, and for a moment, she has a flashback to decades ago, when she interrupted their wedding.

They’ve all really come so far.

She can’t help but look through the crowd, seeing her family upfront, Ella and Lucy standing next to Neal, and Emma and Hook, baby Hope looking confused by all the commotion from her front row seat in Emma’s arms. And then, on the other side of the crowd, Zelena with Robyn and Alice, Rogers standing behind his daughter and daughter-in-law. There are others, too; Tiana and Naveen, Granny and Marco with August, Ruby, and Dorothy, Maleficent and Lily, and so many other faces she recognizes from the denizens of Storybrooke and the various realms they’ve visited.

When the Henrys release her so that she can walk the last steps to the dais on her own, she looks up at Snow and David, raising an eyebrow. “What is this?” asks Regina, gesturing at the gathering.

“This… is for you,” Snow announces with eyes already teary and a voice choked with emotion.

Regina’s pulse thunders in her ears, almost drowning out her former stepdaughter’s speech as Snow explains that the people have chosen a leader for all the realms. Nonetheless, she still manages to catch Snow’s emphatic, “They want it to be _you_ , Regina,” and then David is opening the elegantly carved box in his hands, revealing a crown.

She turns on the spot, looking back at the crowd, the approving looks on her constituents, people who had once gazed upon her with fear and hatred. People she had once cursed to be unhappy. People who had never accepted her or wanted her to be queen. And now, they’re giving her a crown, and choosing her to lead them, and there are so many recognizable faces — Mother Superior, the dwarfs, Rogers’ and Hook’s pirate crew, Jasmine and Aladdin, Ariel and Eric, Aurora and Phillip, and on and on and on.

There’s someone — someone _s_ missing, though.

Regina turns back to Snow, whispering almost hopefully, “Is _everyone_ here?”

Snow grimaces, and it’s all the confirmation she needs to know that she’s not simply overlooking them in the crowd. “They said they were coming, but I haven’t seen them,” Snow murmurs, and Regina’s face falls.

“Well, I’m sure they’re very busy,” she tries to cover, swallowing the tiny lump building in her throat, and Snow recovers quickly, whispering, “Shall we begin?” and reaching for the crown.

It’s as Snow is about to place the crown on Regina’s head after Regina has said _I do_ that the doors burst open, the crowd gasping in shock at whoever has chosen to interrupt such a momentous occasion.

“Sorry we’re late,” a too-familiar voice rings out, and Regina is smiling before turns around, futilely trying to school her features into something sterner as she meets the eyes of her doppelgänger.

“Cutting it a little close there, aren’t you, Queenie?” she asks the erstwhile Evil Queen, raising a disapproving eyebrow at her as she approaches the dais.

“You know how much I like to make an entrance,” replies the Queen with a nonchalant shrug. “How we _all_ like to make an entrance.”

She’s not alone; Robin of Locksley is right by her side, looking perhaps a bit uncomfortable with so much attention focused on him and his wife. There’s Roland, too, so grown up now, but he’s beaming like a little kid. Last but not least, with her black wide-brimmed hat and characteristic red riding coat, is the version of her from the Wish Realm.

It’s still strange to see her doubles, despite the amount of time she’s spent around the Queen. But the other Regina, the Captain Regina of the _Queen’s Revenge_ (formerly the _Jolly Roger_ ) is something entirely different. Black hair tumbling in windswept curls down her back, makeup minimal but worn like armor, a somewhat more weathered expression on her face. She’s still much more guarded than even Queenie, and she looks about as happy to be there as Locksley does.

“Excuse me,” Snow interjects primly, loudly whispering so everyone gathered at the front hears her. “Can we get on with the ceremony please?”

The Queen rolls her eyes, moving next to the Henrys, giving each of the boys a hug before all attention is back on Regina.

When Snow places the crown on her head, Regina smiles, and almost feels complete.

After the ceremony is over, and all that’s left is the suitably huge reception in the grand hall, Regina stands by herself, watching the merriment held in her honor. She wears a small smile as Henry fumbles through a waltz with Jacinda, while his younger version is pulled into a silly dance-off with Neal, Lucy, Alice, and Robyn. Prince Henry is decidedly more withdrawn than the son she raised, but he’s opening up, slowly beginning to blossom now that he’s surrounded by his family with room to grow and go his own way.

“I should be used to seeing double with three of us around, and yet,” the slightly deeper voice of her erstwhile evil counterpart startles her just a little, the Queen managing to sneak up on her somehow, “I still can’t get used to seeing two of our son.”

Regina turns to look at her, surprised to see her by herself. A quick scan of what she can see of the crowd reveals Robin talking to Emma and Killian, a bit awkwardly from his expression, and Captain Regina is carrying on a conversation with Rogers, of all people. That’s… intriguing, and Regina realizes now she doesn’t know much of her Wish Realm counterpart’s history with that version of Captain Hook.

Maybe she should ask.

“Regina,” the Queen is saying, bringing her attention back to her, “I have something to tell you.” She’s nervous, something Regina recognizes too easily as she holds her hand to her stomach, and that makes Regina nervous, too. “I’ve been reading a _lot_ over the years, trying to find a way to bring your Robin back—”

There’s a moment of white noise roaring in her ears, everything stopping as melancholy punches her in the gut hard enough to bring tears to her eyes, and she almost misses the rest of the Queen’s sentence entirely.

“—and though I found a few promising ways, they never amounted to anything because there wasn’t enough power. But now, with all the realms merged, there’s so much more magical energy here… And there are _three_ of us now,” she adds with a pointed look toward their red-coated counterpart. “We can do it, Regina. We can bring him back.”

Regina is shaking her head, unable to look at her other half, unable to respond in any way to this idea of hers. She swallows hard once, twice, finally finding her voice, “No. Nothing — nothing brings back the dead. We know that too well.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” the Queen spits, reaching out and gripping Regina’s arm harshly. She bends close, eyes flashing with fire as she points out, “Hook came back. Gold before him. Charming. How many others?”

“That was — that was _different_ ,” she scowls and tugs her arm free. She doesn’t want to have this conversation here anymore, people are beginning to notice the tension. “Follow me,” she hisses, stalking off and not looking to see if the Queen follows. When she reaches the hallway and the door has shut behind her, she turns and sees the Queen standing there, arms crossed as they face off. “While I appreciate you having so much pity that you’re still looking for a way to bring him back, we both know magic comes with a price and the cost would be much too high, as if it’d ever work anyway.”

“It’s not _pity_ ,” she retorts with a roll of her eyes. “I want you to be happy, you deserve the happiness that everyone else has. And I can give it to you, but I need your help.”

Regina doesn’t want to listen to this, wants to smother out the spark of hope the Queen’s offer is striking inside of her. “We can’t. I don’t — what if it goes wrong? What if the price is too much? It’s been so long… We don’t even know if there’s anything to bring back.”

The Queen holds up a familiar red feather, one of many that Regina has collected after too infrequent dreams of her soulmate. Smirking, she says, “Yes, we do. And this proves it.”

She hesitates, staring at the feather in her hand, and her treacherous heart skips a beat. There is so much magic in this Storybrooke, united with all the magical realms alongside it, and Captain Regina is as adept with her magic as the two of them. There’s no telling what the Queen was able to find, so many tomes out there promised ways to bring back the dead. She shouldn’t agree, it’s been years, Robin is dead and gone and yet she dreams of him every now and then, of him and that little tavern where they can speak and touch and her soul feels complete in a way she can never replicate when she’s awake.

She thinks of Captain Regina talking to Rogers, of Queenie and Robin of Locksley, of her son and his wife and Snow and Charming and Emma and Killian and Robyn and Alice and Zelena and Chad. She aches to have that.

Blinking back tears, she reaches out and grasps the Queen’s hand, wrapping her fingers so that they’re both holding the feather. “What do we need to do?” she asks in a voice much calmer than her tumultuous soul feels.

“Come to my castle after the reception. It’s going to be a busy night,” the Queen smirks, letting go of the feather for Regina to keep.

As her other half walks away, Regina holds onto the feather and hopes.


End file.
